I stumbled across Gourmet Girl Graffiti while looking for new stuff to watch on Crunchyroll. This anime is based upon the 2012 manga, Happy Cooking Graffiti(Kōfuku Gurafiti) by Makoto Kawai. This series is part of the Comedy/Slice of Life genre and fits in nicely with the likes of Food Wars and I Can’t Understand What My Husband is Saying. Food tends to make its way into a lot of anime; in Gourmet Girl Graffiti, food has a profound effect on everyone.
In the first episode, we meet the two main characters of the show: Ryou and Kirin. Ryou is a middle school student who lives on her own after the death of her grandmother (which we learn was a year before the show starts). Kirin is her country-bumpkin second cousin who stays with her on the weekends to attend cram school in Tokyo. Food becomes the focus of the episode almost immediately. First, viewers see that Kirin hates her mother’s cooking because she uses too many green foods. Then it is revealed that Ryou is an amazing cook who doesn’t actually like her own cooking. Her little, purple-haired cousin teaches her a lesson in loving food and family.
While there are many sentimental moments in this episode, as soon as Kirin gets over her cold, the show does begin to get a little weird. If you’re familiar with Food Wars, you won’t find the eating scenes strange, in fact; you’ll be completely prepared for the orgasmic experiences the women portray when eating Ryou’s cooking. I would bargain that the scenes revolving around food are the longest ones in each episode and there are just so many of them! 
Episode 2 definitely showcases the sexual ways one can enjoy a meal. The sexy manner in which Ryou enjoys her food is hinted at in episode 1 when her cousin tells her she looks “kinda sexy” when she eats and Ryou explains that she doesn’t feel comfortable eating while people watch. I think the picture above summarizes why Ryou wouldn’t want people watching her eat. Just look at that! A friend is shoving food into her mouth and she’s enjoying it. It doesn’t just end there – there are more questionable content scenes revolving around the digestion of food. 
Since these scenes are a bit over-the-top, some people might find this show a bit hard to watch. I would say that these scenes are funny and perfectly capture how to visually describe the enjoyment of eating. Some food is so good, you really have to find a way to express it. Gourmet Girl Graffiti is not ashamed of flaunting how amazing Ryou’s cooking is. In addition to the amazing descriptions of food and recipes, the characters are already well developed in the first two episodes. Both Ryou and Kirin are passionate school girls who have life goals in mind. They have enough likes and dislikes to distance themselves from the typical anime tropes they represent. They also have an interesting group of friends who are unique. One likes to draw old men instead of cherry blossoms, another likes to get drunk and then go to the office. These girls remind me of real people I can see myself hanging out with.
Try watching an episode and decide for yourself if this new anime is worth your time. It can be watched as a simulcast on Saturdays at 11am on Crunchyroll.com
My only wish is that all of these food themed anime shows would get together for an amazing cookbook!
